Wasting My Young Years
by wstrnplsr105
Summary: "Because we are older now, and we're not facing Jeff, or The Spoiler, or any of those guys anymore. These guys are bigger, badder, and a lot scarier." / In which Charlotte is kidnapped again, but they're older now and things have changed.


**Just gonna go ahead and say this: To me, this is different than anything I've ever really written for Fanfiction, and for Henry Danger. It's more serious, I guess could be labeled as "OOC" depending on how you look at it. While I do try to usually have a more serious take on the show, this, to me personally, is more serious and more, idk. Just trying to let y'all know ahead of time.**

 **Basically I just want to warn you guys that this one does contain some violence (both with Charlotte as a victim and Henry as a...person who is the one portraying the violence? (What's the word for that? There's gotta be a word for that but it's 1:07 in the morning and I don't feel like Googling it tbh.) But I PROMISE: the two are NOT in the same violent situations, I would NEVER do that.)) so if you guys aren't comfortable with violence, for whatever reason, I just want to let you know ahead of time.**

 **Anyways, with that out of the way, I'm back again! I don't have any idea where this particular little story came from, I was in the middle of scanning pictures for a video I'm making for my sister's wedding next month (scanning 49 pictures + saving an additional 38 off of email = NOT FUN) and I had my headphones in and suddenly Gasoline by Halsey came on (I love it, love all of her songs!) and it started turning wheels in my head and this somehow came about. But I wanted to try this out, and it is something a little different I think, but I want to know what you guys think. I'm sure to at least some of you, there's some OOC going on through here, but I was trying to think of how to portray the characters in these certain types of situations that we haven't seen them in (at least not to this extent). I started thinking about how as the show progresses and the characters (Henry in particular) grow up, things seem to be more serious and more dangerous, and I wanted to expand on that, while also kind of bringing back The Beat Goes On's plot of Charlotte being kidnapped because of her association with Captain Man and Kid Danger. Which is why I didn't add a lot of romance in this one, unlike my others, because I just wanted to focus on the two individually and then together at the end.** **So I know I just rambled a bunch and I don't blame y'all if you stopped reading, so just let me know whatcha think!**

 **(P.S. This isn't my AU that I was talking about posting soon in my last story, but I am working on that one as well as the college story and the prompts fic.)**

 **Songs:**

 **Wasting My Young Years by London Grammar (title and lyric at beginning)**

 **Gasoline by Halsey**

 **So Bad by Brandon Skeie (EDWYNN X TIKAL & Spirix Remix)**

 **Don't Let Me Down by The Chainsmokers ft. Daya (Illenium Remix)**

 **No Angels by Bastille ft. Ella Eyre**

 **Fortress by Illenium ft. Joni Fatora**

* * *

 _"Don't you know that it's only fear_  
 _I wouldn't worry, you have all your life_  
 _I've heard it takes some time to get it right."_

Back when Henry first started this job, he had been thrown into a whole new world of superheros, villians, and all the things that came with the job.

He always knew that his job was dangerous. He wasn't indestructible like Ray, so he relied on his ever-improving fighting skills and ever-improving Schwoz-created gadgets to beat every bad guy (or girl, there had definitely been _plenty_ of those) that he came into contact with. Though these skills and the miscellaneous gadgets always seemed to be enough, he learned within a few years (and a rather embarrassing and painful battle with Ray's old sidekick) that his newly acquired super-fast reflexes were going to be a much-needed addition to his life as a superhero sidekick.

Sure, this job was dangerous for all of them. They _all_ knew that, even Jasper. And as the years passed and Henry grew up, they seemed to re-learn that fact every time the emergency alarm sounded in the Man Cave.

The mid-December air was surprisingly frigid as Henry and Jasper walked into Junk N Stuff, the two 17 year olds laughing at some joke the curly haired boy had said earlier.

"Alright, I'm gonna head downstairs and see if Ray needs anything." Henry announced, getting a nod in response as Jasper walked behind the counter and settled into his regular shift.

"Make sure you tell Char we made it safely in case she was worried about us." Jasper teased as Henry headed towards the elevator, earning a snort from the blonde.

"Will do."

The tall blonde stepped into the elevator, not even phased by the harsh drop after over four years. He checked his phone again, frowning when he saw no text or call from his other best friend. He shrugged it off, not wanting to blow things out of proportion. Charlotte was probably already down in the Man Cave, and her phone was probably over on the couch or in her bag somewhere.

When the elevator door opened, he expected to see the dark haired girl at the research desk as usual.

The desk was empty.

His brow furrowed in confusion, but he kept his usual cool demeanor as the door to Ray's room slid open and the older brunette walked through.

"Hey Hen!"

The blonde nodded in greeting.

"Hey, uh, is Charlotte here?"

Ray's face dropped from a smile into one of confusion.

"Uh, no. I thought she was coming with you and Jasper like usual."

"Uh, no…" Henry shook his head, "She wasn't in our usual meeting place and she isn't answering her phone. Jasper thought maybe she'd already came here without us."

"Nope, haven't seen her." Ray repeated, looking a little concerned, "Are you sure she didn't have a meeting after school or something? Isn't she in the board of students or somet-"

"Student council." Henry corrected with a roll of his eyes, "And I'm sure. She only has meetings on Tuesdays."

"Try her phone again." The brunette replied, "If she doesn't reply the-"

The alarm sounded from the desk, interrupting Ray's sentence as the two turned at the noise. They hurried over to the desk and Henry tapped the button to bring up the alert.

"Someone's calling." The blonde announced, receiving a nod from his boss before tapping the accept button.

There was a long silence, long enough that Henry had his hand over the red cancel button when suddenly a small gasp was heard, followed by a pained cough.

Henry doesn't know how he _knows,_ or why his chest tightens to the point that he can't breathe because-

"T-This is…" Charlotte's voice is uneven, interrupted by labored breathing and coughs, "Charlotte. It's Charlotte."

"Char? Where are you? Are you okay?" Henry fires off one question after the other, only to be interrupted by Ray.

"Charlotte, where are you?"

"I-I don't know." She sniffs, and Henry's heart nearly breaks into a million pieces because he knows she's trying not to cry, he can hear it in her voice.

"Schwoz!" Ray yells, his voice betraying how panicked he really is right now as he turns back to Charlotte's call.

"What happened?"

Another heavy breath.

"D-don't know. Some guy who wants to know where Captain Man and Kid Danger's headquarters are." She manages to get out, coughing harshly at the end, followed by a wince.

"Charlotte, you need to help us find you." Ray tries again, motioning Schwoz as the foreign man walks into the Man Cave with a look of worry.

"What's going on?" He asks, seeing the two hovering over the desk.

"Charlotte's been kidnapped, she's on the phone now. We need to track her location."

At these words, the shorter man hurries to the desk, pushing the other two out of the way as he begins quickly tapping buttons and entering codes.

"Charlotte, Schwoz is tracking your location right now." Ray explains softly, "We need you to stay on the phone for as long as possible, okay?"

"O-okay." She murmurs, "I-I don't know how long I have, he left about five minutes ago. I was able to get my phone out of my pocket."

"Good, that's good." Ray encourages, "This guy, what does he look like? Do you recognize him from anywhere?"

"M-mh." She mumbles a negative, "He's tall, brown hair."

"What else?" Henry speaks up urgently, his fingers turning white from how hard he's gripping the edge of the desk.

"H-His eyes." She stops for a minute, and what sounds like a shudder fills the silence before she continues, "H-His eyes are green. Dark green."

"Got it!" Schwoz interrupts triumphantly, his hands flying up in joy, "I found her location!"

"Good!" Ray says in relief, then turns his attention back to Charlotte, "Charlotte, we have your location and we're coming to get you right now, okay?"

The two have already transformed when the other end of the line is heard again.

"I-" She starts to speak, only to be interrupted by a door slamming and a new voice.

"Looks like someone found their phone."

"Henry, let's go." Ray urges, because he's been a superhero long enough.

He knows what happens next.

The blonde refuses to budge as he stares at the screen as if he can physically see Charlotte.

"Looks like this won't be ending good for you."

"Henry-" Ray commands, trying to pull the blonde to the tubes before he is cut off by the sound of Charlotte screaming.

" _Ray_ -" The blonde chokes out.

"Kid, let's go _now._ "

Henry allows himself to be pulled over to the tubes.

 _(The rest is a blur.)_

* * *

In the first hour that Charlotte had been in this dark, unfamiliar building, she had thought to herself that she didn't think that she had ever been this scared before.

But now, after what seemed like days and months and _years_ of being here, she _knew_ that she had never been this scared before.

That time when she was younger, when Dr. Minyak had kidnapped and brain-warped her, had been rather frightening when she had thought back to it. It was her first time really being targeted, particularly for being associated with Captain Man and Kid Danger, and even with it being Dr. Minyak, who she personally didn't think was very, well, _intimidating_ , it was still a scary experience for anyone, especially a young girl like her.

But this made that time seem like _nothing._

She was alone, she was hurt, and she was terrified beyond belief.

" _I know you know where Captain Man and Kid Danger's headquarters are."_

She curled into an even smaller ball on the cold, filthy floor at the scene in her mind.

" _I don't know what you're talking about."_

She thinks she might hear his footsteps again, but she knows even if it is, there's nothing she can do about it anyways.

 _He had started off just taunting her, bribing her with her freedom and promising not to hurt her if she just told him the location of the Man Cave._

She lays there, hoping that Henry and Ray get here soon without him knowing.

 _But if this guy thinks that Charlotte will just give up the Man Cave's location, endangering Henry and Ray, then he's severely underestimating her._

In a twisted moment, she hopes that they don't come.

" _Just tell me!" He was in her face, snarling like a rabid dog as she forced herself not to break._

It's not that she doesn't want to be rescued, _oh God_ does she want to be rescued.

" _I don't know where it is!" She lies, her voice rising to meet his level despite her racing heart._

But she's so _embarrassed._

" _Liar!" He screeches, and it's the first time that she feels the pain of his hand across her face._

She knows how she will look if they were to come through the door right now.

 _She gasps in shock, her cheek throbbing as she stares up at the man in disbelief._

Face bruised.

" _I'm going to ask you again."_

Makeup smeared from a mixture of blood and tears and sweat.

" _Where is it?"_

Body curled into shaking ball of fear.

" _I don't know."_

She shuts her eyes at the memories of the slaps, the punches, and the kicks that followed as the door is thrown open.

* * *

When Henry sees the tall man with brown hair and dark green eyes, he thinks he may truly kill someone with his bare hands.

His body is shaking with so many emotions right now, he can't even think straight as he and Ray burst through the door of the old, abandoned building that Charlotte's phone had lead them to.

He doesn't even see the men scattered throughout the main room, doesn't even think twice as he takes out any of them that dares to cross his path. He guesses Ray is doing the same, but he doesn't even acknowledge his boss as he makes his way to the man who Charlotte said was responsible.

 _(He doesn't know if her screams repeating over and over in his head are helping or hindering.)_

He has a handful of the man's shirt as he slams him against the wall before the coward can run.

"Whoa, kid, someone has some serious streng-"

He cuts off the taunt with a punch, quickly followed by another.

The man shakes it off after a moment of surprise, then spits out the blood filling his mouth.

"Whoa, I didn't realize my mistake."

"What, you kidnapping an innocent girl and hurting her for information that she doesn't know?" The blonde snaps, "Yeah, I'd say you've made a mistake."

"Not that part." The man chuckles, "Sorry, man, I didn't know she was yours."

Henry doesn't even respond this time, settling for punching the man three more times.

"I swear, if you have so much as left a scratch on her then _I will kill you_."

The man's eyes turn almost deranged as he lets out a giggle.

" _Too late."_

Suddenly Henry has the man's throat in his hands and he's holding so tightly that he doesn't know if he's scaring himself or the man more.

"Kid Danger!"

Ray's voice comes from behind him, the purpose of being calm and collected but they can all hear the underlying worry.

"Where is she?" Henry asks in a quiet, yet deadly voice.

The man chokes out a laugh again and the blonde's grip tightens.

"Kid-"

" _Where is she?"_

"She's dead." The man chokes out with a twisted grin, the whites of his eyes turning red as he watches Henry's face drop.

" _Where is she?!"_

Henry doesn't feel the pain of his hands cramping, doesn't feel his muscles screaming in protest, doesn't hear Ray's commands for him to stop, doesn't hear any of the man's croaks until four words break through.

"D-door o-on t-the r-right."

At this, Henry drops the man onto the concrete floor, his whole body shaking as the man gasps for air.

"At the e-end of the h-hall." He wheezes out, hands reaching for his own throat, "Last d-door on t-the r-right."

He looks to Ray, who immediately nods and waves him off.

" _Go."_

It feels like it takes Henry _days_ to run down the hallway, _months_ to find the last door on the right, _years_ to finally shove the door open.

His heart falls into a million pieces on the floor at the sight of the small body curled up on the cold, grimy floor.

"Charlotte?"

His voice is small, cracking with a sob threatening to overwhelm him if she doesn't respond.

" _She's dead."_

He hears a choked gasp.

"H-Hen?"

He runs over to her as she slowly raises her head, her mocha eyes filled with tears.

"You're alive." He breathes out, relief flooding his entire being as he looks her over.

"I'm going to pick you up now, okay?" He says gently, getting a sniffle and a small nod in return. He slips an arm under her knees and the other under her back as gently as he can.

"I-I didn't t-tell…" She murmurs into his chest as he starts to carry her out, "I…didn't tell him…anything."

He presses a kiss to her hair as he fights back tears.

"I know, Char, I know."

* * *

Patience has never been one of Henry's attributes.

He swears it's been hours since Schwoz took Charlotte to check her for any major injuries, and all the blonde has done so far is worn a hole in the floor of the Man Cave.

"Henry-" Ray speaks up soothingly, watching his younger sidekick from his seat on the couch next to Jasper.

"I know, I know."

The door to the back room of the Man Cave opens and Schwoz steps through.

"Well?" Henry blurts out, "Is she okay? What's wrong? Where is she?"

"She doesn't have any internal injuries." He replies, his accent prominent as usual, "She's just bruised up and exhausted. She needs to rest."

"When can we see her?" Jasper speaks for the first time.

"I would say after she gets some sleep," Schwoz replies, then turns to Henry, "but she told me she wants to talk to Henry and that she would replace my bath bomb with a proton grenade if I didn't let you back there."

Henry can't help but smile at the comment, glad that she at least felt like herself enough to still threaten Schwoz.

"Thanks." He mumbles before heading through the doorway.

When he reaches the room that Schwoz turned into their "infirmary", Charlotte is sitting on the table looking down at her bare feet.

"Hey."

She jumps a little at his voice, smiling sheepishly before replying.

"Hey."

"How ya feeling?" He asks softly, leaning against the doorway.

She shrugs, eyes ducking away from his.

"Just sore."

Henry sighs, his own gaze dropping to the floor.

"Look, Char-"

"Henry, I-"

They both flush dark pink, eyes meeting before quickly flittering away again.

"Go ahead." He motions with a shy smile.

She nods, mostly to herself, before she takes a deep breath.

"Don't blame yourself."

His head snaps up at her words in surprise.

"Don't look at me like that." She warns, her finger pointing straight at him, "I know what you've been thinking ever since I called."

"Char-"

"You're thinking that it's your fault, that you should've protected me, that you should've somehow predicted me getting kidnapped and you should've stopped it but the reality is that there is absolutely _no_ way that you could have known any of this was going to happen."

"I know that, but still-" He shakes his head as she interrupts again.

"No buts. I knew the risk of this job when I took it, just like you." She catches his gaze, "I understand that we're older now, and it's more dangerous."

He doesn't interrupt as she pauses for a moment.

"Because we _are_ older now, and we're not facing Jeff, or The Spoiler, or any of those guys anymore. These guys are bigger, badder, and a lot _scarier_ -" She stops for a moment when her voice cracks, but she quickly regroups, "-but we're stronger, better, and we can stop them just like we stopped any of those other bad guys from before."

Henry watches as she finishes her speech, clearing her throat before she shrugs halfheartedly.

"I know we can, Char." He replies quietly, waiting for her to drop the brave act that he knows she's putting up for him.

"Good." She breathes out, avoiding eye contact again and he takes a step forward.

"You done?" He half-jokes, half-murmurs.

She nods and he has his arms around her before the first tear hits the floor.

She's sobbing into his chest, soaking his gray t-shirt to his skin, but he doesn't even notice. He wonders if she feels the slow drip of tears into her curly hair as he finally faces his own fears. He can't even tell who is shaking at this point, maybe they both are. They just hold each other, only breaking the silence when she barely whispers into his chest.

" _I was so scared."_

A whole new set of tears overwhelm him at her words as he holds her even tighter.

" _Me too."_

She lets out a choked sob before sniffling and taking a shaky breath.

"But I knew you'd come."

He feels her head raise up from his chest a little and he pulls back slightly to meet her tear-filled gaze with his own.

"You always do."

He smiles back down at her before pulling her back into his chest.

"I'll always be here for you, Char."

He feels her own smile against his shirt.

"I know, Hen, I know."


End file.
